Window
by Arctimon
Summary: After Picture Day, Baljeet does not have any choice but to face the possibility of what could happen between him and Ginger. But where should he go for advice? From the unlikeliest of sources, that's who. Sequel to "The Clothes Make The Man". Unplanned, but super secret special Chapter 2 is now up!
1. Looking Out

And no, it's not Buford**_._**

I know what you are thinking, and I'm just going to cut you off right there. :P

_**DISCLAIMER:**__ It would be highly recommended to go read __**The Clothes Make The **__**Man** before reading this, since things in here would make much more sense ff you did._

_All characters of Phineas and Ferb are owned by Dan, Jeff, and Disney._

* * *

_"So have we figured out what the hypotenuse would be?"_

"If my calculations are correct, then it would be about...five."

_"Are you sure?"_

He looked up at the computer screen. "Keep in mind who you are talking to."

"_Hehehe. Fair enough."_

Baljeet completed his triangle sketch and jotted the number down on his paper. "OK, the math homework has been completed."

_"Is there anything else that you think we should do?"_

"No, I think I am done for the night." Baljeet closed his math book, pushing it off to the side. "At least I do not have to worry about math homework for the weekend."

_"Baljeet, you are the only person that I know that does homework so far in advance."_

"Well, Mishti," he said, glancing at the girl on his computer screen, "technically we did it together. It is quite the coincidence that your school in New Dehli has the same curriculum as we do."

"_Agreed, it makes things so much easier."_

"In any case, I am nothing when it comes to Ferb. He gets it done even quicker than I ever could."

_"I find that very hard to believe."_

He peered at the screen, momentarily locking eyes with his Indian friend. "Mishti, there is a lot that Phineas and Ferb are capable of doing that I am baffled by." He waved at his open scrapbook behind him to prove his point, showing off the pictures of the brothers' Big Ideas. "I _still_ do not know how they managed to build all of those mechanical bulls in such a short amount of time."

_"I guess it shall remain a mystery," _Mishti sighed. She set her own book in her desk drawer, closing it with a thud. _"By the way, Baljeet, did you ever get my gift for you in the mail?"_

"I did indeed. It was a very nice _sherwani_ you sent me. Although you did mention something in your letter about a..." He looked down at the letter on his desk. "A _dhoti_ as well."

_"Oh...that,"_ Mishti grinned sheepishly. _"I am afraid that my mother mistook your second half of the gift for the tablecloth. Do not worry, though; I have a replacement on the way."_

Baljeet said nothing, having just noticed the other piece of paper on his desk. He picked it up and read the first line, his mind wandering back to when he first read it almost two weeks ago.

_"Is something the matter, Baljeet?"_

"Hmm?"

_"You have that spacey look on you."_

"The...what?"

_"When you're trying to figure something out."_

Baljeet raised his eyebrow. "...I have that?"

Mishti smirked. _"Yes, yes you do."_

He thought for a moment. Surely she would not poke fun at him for his predicament.

"It is an...unusual scenario for me to be in."

Mishti waved her hand in mock disdain. _"You mean more unusual than being on a cruise ship that your friends produced for an afternoon?"_

"A lot more unusual, actually."

Now he had her full attention. _"Oh?"_

"Well, it started off like this..."

So he began to talk about the party on his birthday, the present that was left for him, the contents, and the subsequent exchange between him and Ginger at school. Mishti listened intently through the entire thing, her eyes widening at the end when Baljeet mentioned what Ginger had written in her letter.

_"Wow."_ She was visibly impressed. _"That's a lot to put in a letter. And all of the nice clothing did not hurt things at all."_

Baljeet put the letter back on his desk, smiling. "Wait, did you not send me some clothing too?"

_"Well, mine did not include a letter from your supposed secret crush."_

Silence.

_"Not...that there is one. I am just saying."_

"Here, let me show you some of it." Baljeet jumped out of his chair to his closet, carefully taking his fedora box off of the top shelf.

_"Now, you __**are**__ sure that it was her, right?" _Mishti asked as she craned her neck to try to see Baljeet. _"It could just merely be a coincidence."_

"I did think about that, yes. However, everything add up correctly. It is just like any other math problem."

_"A little less basic than an equation, but I guess that is what we'll go with."_

"OK, so here it is." Baljeet came back into her view with the fedora on his head. Mishti gave one look at him and let out a low whistle.

_"My, my, Baljeet, you are looking rather dashing there."_

"This is not the only thing, though," he said, gesturing to the rest of his body. "She got me an entire suit as well. All very made well. I looked all of it up online and the only thing that I will tell you is that it did not come cheap."

Mishti looked away, and for a moment, Baljeet thought he could see her cheeks go slightly pink. It was at this point where she interjected back into the conversation.

_"Baljeet, you know what you should do about this, right?"_

"Obviously not, because I am talking to you about it."

"_Alright, let us start off with a question, then,"_ Mishti said, slightly shuffling in her chair. _"Do you like her?"_

Baljeet's eyes widened. "I do not know what you mean by that."

"_Oh come on, Baljeet. This is not rocket science."  
_

"I know, right? Rocket science would be easier."

Mishti let out a frustrated sigh. _"Baljeet, what I mean is that this is not a complicated decision. You either like her or you do not. Despite what you may think, it is really that simple."_

The Indian boy looked down at the keyboard, thinking hard. "I...do not know."

"_Did I not say-"_

"Yes, yes, I know what you said," he interjected, waving his hand dismissively. "I do not know, though. This whole thing came out of the blue, and I've put in on the proverbial back-burner for the past two weeks. It is just that I am not used to people thinking about me that way."

If Baljeet had looked up at that very moment, he would have seen the twinge of pink of Mishti's cheeks get even darker. She cleared her throat, getting his attention.

"_Baljeet...you are one of the smartest people that I know, and you are a good guy. It does not really come as a surprise to me that someone would think of you in different terms than wedgies and headlocks."_

"Hey, Buford does wet willies as well."

"_That is not my point." _Mishti drummed the table with her fingers. _"I am trying to say that this possibility was just that. A possibility. Not an __**im**__possiblity. And it is quite clear that she likes you, and I have not even seen any of her behavior to back up that claim."_

Baljeet rested his head on his hand. "So if you think that is what is happening now...what do you think I should do?"

"_If I were you, I would try to see what her true mindset is. Try some things out. Read her mind. In a non-figurative sense, of course."_

He looked down at the paper again as his mind flashed back to Picture Day. The looks Ginger was giving him, the blushes, the compliments...it was all obvious. But there was just something that he couldn't quite place on his end, and that's what was troubling him.

"_But Baljeet, I am just going to warn you now."  
_

"Hmm?" He looked back up at the screen to see Mishti holding her hands up, at about an inch apart.

"_The window that you have is not going to stay open for a while. I am not saying that you have to do something immediately, but this situation could get very awkward very quickly. She is still your friend, is she not?" _Seeing Baljeet's nod, she continued. _"You are just going to have to take this delicately, but swiftly."_

He nodded again. "Interesting. I did not think I would have to run into this sort of problem so soon."

Mishti looked down at her watch. _"I have to go, Baljeet; Mother is taking me out shopping today, and she wants to hit all of the early sales. Do you not have to go to bed soon?"_

Baljeet glanced at his clock and was startled to see that the time was almost 10 o'clock. "Yes, I should be going to sleep now. I have a lot to think about."

_"Do not worry. It will either happen or it will not. Just be prepared for both."_

"OK. I shall see you later."

_"Night, Baljeet."_

Baljeet closed the chat window, his mind still racing on what he had talked about with Mishti. He shook his head slowly.

"Good gracious, this is going to be a headache. Someone is going to write a story about this when all is said and done."

* * *

Mishti got off of her chair, ready to head out of the house with her mother. It had been somewhat of a surprise to see Baljeet openly talking about that particular topic. The majority of the time that they spent talking on the web cameras was spent of homework and the like. It was not every day her friend would chat about girls.

"It is about time, too," she muttered to herself. "A girl can only do so much homework at a time. Not that Baljeet has that problem."

She grabbed her backpack off of the dresser and headed toward the door. "Although this is a problem that he is going to figure out himself. She needs to pick her brain. Everyone's different. After all, I am not the girl that is crushing on him."

Her mind brought forth the mental image of Baljeet in his formal attire, and a small chill went through her body. She turned back toward the now blank computer screen and sighed.

"Or at least I was not until a few minutes ago."

* * *

_**(If I missed any frackin' contractions, please let me know. I think I got them all.)**  
_

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: **Yes, Baljeet. Someone _is_ going to make that into a story. Three guesses who. First two don't count.

Yeah...when I mentioned "from the unlikeliest of sources" in the story description, that was made with the intention that it wasn't going to be Buford. I said "unlikeliest", not "somewhat likely".

I have already made my spiel about Mishti and the pairing of her and Baljeet together at my DevArt journal, but I'll go ahead and repeat it her: Mishti is a good character...for what she is. I just don't see her as the be-all end-all for Baljeet. She was in her episode and the situation got resolved and nothing really blossomed.

That being said, there's no reason why I can't have a _little_ fun with that fan-pairing. Thus the end.

This will lead in to the main Baljeet/Ginger story that I've been working on, which will be coming out in about two weeks. I have one more one-shot to put out between now and then, and it is...somewhat related to the main story. You'll just have to read it to find out.

Read and review, if you like. Until next time.


	2. Looking In

Super special awesome secret second chapter, go!

_**Disclaimer: **__Re-read Chapter 1 (now titled Looking Out) if you need to get caught up, likewise for __**The Clothes Make The Man**__ if you need the backstory behind it._

_All characters of Phineas and Ferb are...well, you get the picture._

* * *

Music was suppose to be the calming factor.

The thing that would make him, at least for a moment, forget what was troubling him.

Baljeet shuffled his stool closer to the piano. It was a gift given to his mother after they had moved to America several years ago. It was a grand instrument (and also a grand version, ironically enough), and he always tried to take a little time every day to practice. He found that it helped him relax.

And boy, did he ever need it now.

The conversation he had with Mishti the previous day was still in his mind. That alone wouldn't weight his mind down too much, except for his thoughts on Ginger were landing directly on top of that.

He rested his hands on the keys, trying to think about what he wanted to play. There was always the recognizable Chopsticks, or if he felt adventurous, something by Chopin.

No, neither of those would do. It would have to be something that could distract him for a longer period of time. Something that complimented the situation-

_"I meant what I said earlier. You do really look great."_

Crud.

Ginger's comment from Picture Day came flooding back to him. To be honest, he had been quite flattered that someone praised him for his looks, but he had not really thought about the context until now.

_"Thank you for the compliment. It is very much appreciated. You...uh..." Baljeet paused, trying to think of a proper response. "You look very nice today as well."_

Baljeet closed his eyes as the conversation played out in his mind. How did he remember all of this? Did he always have it in the back of his mind?

_"It wouldn't matter if it was a suit or a costume. You would look great in it."_

_"Hmm?"  
_

_"In fact," Ginger murmured, her face pink again, "You would look great in anything."_

He looked up at the ceiling, his stare boring a hole to the letter that he knew was sitting on the computer desk. It was just a gift, right? A rather nice gift, yes, but still a gift. In fact, he hadn't even confirmed that Ginger had given him the clothing. It could have been anyone who happened to know the contents of it, and know about the clothing details, and was attending the party at the time.

Baljeet sighed. Who was he kidding? The evidence was all there; what else was there to conclude? Defeated, he let his head fall onto the keys, the mishmash of notes joining together into one giant befuddled mess.

"...I do not think this is helping at all."

"Well, if you are expecting the piano to diagnose your problems, you are going to be sitting there for a while."

"Mother!" Baljeet quickly turned his head to see his mom closing the door behind her. "When did you get home?"

"Oh, a few moments ago," she said, setting her purse on the end table. "I heard you playing as I was walking up. It is unusual for you to practice when I am not here."

"I was not practicing, Mother," Baljeet replied. "I was just...tinkering, so to speak."

"Really? Did you come up with anything good?"

He hit a random key, the deep tone reverberating through the string. "Nope."

His mother walked into the kitchen to set her bags down, and then returned to her son. "Is everything all right, Baljeet? You seem a little down."

He said nothing, continuing to look at the piano, as if to seeing if an answer was written on them. His mother, curious, sat down next to him on the bench.

"This is about that gift you got for your birthday, is it not?"

Baljeet looked up at his mom, shocked. "How did you-"

"Oh please, Baljeet, I am your mother. I am contractually obligated to know if something is wrong or not with you." She put a comforting arm around him. "Not that there _is _an actual contract, mind you, but still."

"It is just..." He looked down at the keys, wishing something would come to him artistically. "I do not understand girls."

His mom let out a very unladylike snort. "I think that this is the first time you have ever mentioned girls to me."

"It is not a subject that I have really been curious about until...recently."

So Baljeet spent the next few minutes talking to his mother about the birthday gift (which she had known about ) and the details about Picture Day (which she had known some), as well as Mishti's advice in her conversation with him (which she had not). After he was finished, she chuckled softly, confusing the boy.

"What?"

"You live a very weird life, Baljeet. I did not know you even had a girlfriend."

"Mother!" Baljeet exclaimed, his face getting red. "She is not my girlfriend!"

"I know, I know; I am just teasing you." His mom giggled at his denial. "Us Tjinders are not known for our subtlety."

He looked away, his face still blotched from the embarrassment. "This whole thing is unfamiliar territory. I just wish I knew what I needed to do."

His mom thought for a moment, resting her hand on the piano. "Baljeet, what do I always tell you in situations like this?"

"...Do not ever feed the tiger after midnight?"

"Well...yes. But I was thinking more along the lines of something more relevant."

She tapped the C and B keys in front of her a couple of times. She began to speak as the sound whistled through his ears.

"Just like a song on a piano, you cannot have just some pieces before you start playing it. You need to have everything in front of you so that it can be performed to the best of your ability."

Baljeet stared down at her hand tapping the keys. "But what if I do not all of the pieces?"

"Then you need to find them." She nodded to his end of the piano, where he started to tap on the deep C and D keys in rhythm with her.

"Sometimes it is not always the answer we want, but that does not change the fact that it _is_ the answer. We may be confused, we may get flustered, but such is life. Answers are not always the end of everything. Sometimes...it is the beginning of another question."

Baljeet finished tapping on his keys, as did his mother, letting the tone die out before speaking.

"I do not wish to be stuck in a Mobius loop of questions, though."

"There is an easy solution to that, Baljeet," she said, putting her hand on his shoulder. "Cut the paper."

"...I had actually never thought about that."

"Problems and solutions are concrete. The process, however, is not. As along as we get to the answer, the process of getting to it is irrelevant. Provided you do not break any laws, of course."

"Do not worry, Mother; I do not plan on becoming a fugitive for the sake of possible romance."

His mom smiled. "Sounds to me like you have already been thinking about this."

"A little." Baljeet turned toward his mom. "By the way, is there any way you can talk to Dr. Hirano and-?"

"Baljeet, I am not going to do that. This is for you to figure out."

"Aww, not you too."

She chuckled again as she got up from the stool. "The greatest problem solvers did not have other people do the heavy lifting for them. They figured things out on their own. I will support you if you need it, but the end result will be better if you figure it out by yourself."

She stepped toward the kitchen. "I will have dinner ready in about twenty minutes, Baljeet. Try to relax for at least a little bit before then."

Baljeet watched her leave, then returned his gaze to the keys. It was almost the exact same advice Mishti had given him. That could not have been a coincidence, right?

"Find the pieces, Baljeet," he whispered as his finger came down on a random key. Satisfied, he poked at another. "Find the pieces, and you can solve the bigger problem."

He stopped momentarily.

"And I am talking to myself."

He sighed.

"I was right last night. Someone is going to write about this when it is over."

* * *

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Gosh darn it, Baljeet. I'm getting to that. Just hold your horses. :P

Still not used to writing Tjinder. How do you even pronounce that, anyway? Tuh-jin-dur? Or just Jin-der?

Anywho.

After finishing with Window, I decided (after seeing my reviews) that it would be best to add just a little bit more insight before we get into the real deal. Also, a little throwback to **The Clothes Make The Man** never hurt anybody either. It does start this whole dealio off, anyway.

Baljeet's mom is someone who does not get very much attention or screentime, so I figured we would get some bonding time here over a subject that (let's be frank) she thought she wouldn't talk to him about. It's always nice to get a little parent/child time into a story.

I may or may not have something else coming out tomorrow. It's not another chapter to this story, but sort of a companion piece to it. You'll see if it's out tomorrow.

As always, read and review, if you like. Until next time, people.


End file.
